The Jinjira massacre ( bn, জিঞ্জিরা গণহত্যা) was a planned killing of civilians by the

Pakistan army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

during the

Bangladesh liberation war The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

of 1971. The killing took place at the unions Jinjira, Kalindi and Shubhadya of

Keraniganj Upazila Keraniganj ( bn, কেরানীগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. History It is believed that during the reign of Nawab Shaista Khan the paik-peyada and clerical staff (kerani) of the Nawab ...

across the

Buriganga River The Buriganga River ( bn, বুড়িগঙ্গা, ''Buŗigônga'', ) is a river in Bangladesh which flows past the southwest outskirts of the capital city, Dhaka. Its average depth is and its maximum depth is . It ranks among the most p ...

from

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

. This massacre has been detailed in the book Dead Reckoning by Sharmila Bose pg 76–77. According to Pak Army Sources and Civilian Eyewitness accounts interviewees, this place was used as ammunition dump by Rebelling Bengali Soldiers and Bengali Policemen who have deserted with their weapons. When Pak Army went there it came under fire from rebels and during the cross fire a number of civilians were caught in between. The number of casualties is about 3000 civilians.

Background

The

1971 Bangladesh atrocities The genocide in Bangladesh began on 25 March 1971 with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as the government of Pakistan, dominated by West Pakistan, began a military crackdown on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to suppress Bengali calls ...

began as the Pakistan army launched

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was the codename for a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the opera ...

on 25 March 1971 to suppress the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

uprising in then

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

. As a reaction, people from Dhaka flocked to Keraniganj on the other side of the river. The union Jinjira and nearby areas were inhabited by a large number of Hindu families. The elements of Pakistan army, now in control of Dhaka city after the crackdown of 25 March marked Jinjira and surrounding area as a target for military operation.

Massacre

The army started to amass forces around Keraniganj from midnight of 1 April.''Swadhinota Juddher Dolilpatra'' the 8th edition (Page 376-378) They took control of the Mitford Hospital by the river. At around 5 am, they commenced the attack by throwing flares from the roof of the mosque adjacent to the hospital.''Atmokotha 1971'' (My story 1971) by Nirmalendu Gun, Bangla Prokash, 2008 (page 147) The army moved into Jinjira and opened fire on people. The

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

continued for nearly nine hours. One of the largest such executions took place beside a pond near Nandail Dak Street, where 60 people were lined up and shot. The soldiers also fired on the houses using

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

. More than a thousand people died in this massacre.

Cover-up in the Pakistani media

In the night of 2 April

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

broadcast news about strong military action against separatist miscreants taking shelter at Jinjira of Keraniganj on the other side of Buriganga. On 3 April The Morning News came up with the headline, "Actions taken against miscreants at Jinjira".''Ekatturer Dinguli'' (Days of 71) by

Jahanara Imam Jahanara Imam (3 May 1929 – 26 June 1994) was a Bangladeshi writer and political activist. She is known for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial. She has been called "Shaheed Ja ...

, Shandhani publications, 2005 (page 56)

References

{{coord missing, Pakistan Military history of Pakistan Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 Bangladesh genocide Massacres committed by Pakistan in East Pakistan

Background

Massacre

Cover-up in the Pakistani media

See also

References